Atherton plans a number of events related to Earth Day this weekend

Atherton is hosting a town-wide celebration of Earth Day with a series of events and activities. The series will kick-off on Friday, May 20, with a screening at 6:30 pm of Robert Stone’s environmental classic, Pandora’s Promise, followed by a Q&A with one of the movie’s stars. The screening will take place at the Menlo-Atherton Performing Arts Center. RSVP with names to [email protected]

The Atherton 2020 Earth Action Fair, with a showcase of Student Challenge Presentations, will be held on Sunday May 22, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, at Holbrook-Palmer Park (150 Watkins Avenue). It will feature exhibitors representing local businesses, non-profit organizations, agencies and artists, along with a number of town committees presenting their work. There will be music, food, entertainment for children and some special activities for residents.

The Student Environmental Challenge aims to engage area students in a competition that inspires them to learn about an environmental topic and prepare a visual presentation that will inform the community about that topic. The student presentations will be showcased at the fair and the community will have an opportunity to view them, talk about them with the students directly, and vote on their favorite presentations to win prizes.

Attendees will also be able to learn about: the Net Zero Energy features of Atherton’s proposed Civic Center, test-drive an electric vehicle, how to recycle those pesky toxic items, also drop off small hazardous waste items (batteries and bulbs), and collect clean mulch for their gardens. There will be a place where you can recycle broken crayons for a good cause, “up-cycle” a bike for a good cause, learn how to conserve water and energy, all while enjoying homemade snacks and live jazz music courtesy of the Menlo-Atherton High School Jazz Band.